🍎 tl;dr Tuesday

62% of kids want THIS in their classrooms. Are schools listening?

Author

OpenEd Daily
August 06, 2024

We've all been there - someone sends you a long article/email/podcast, and you think, “who has time for this??”

Enter tl;dr Tuesday. Tl;dr used to stand for "Too Long; Didn't Read" but for us, it means "today's learning, directly relevant." We’ll break down long, complex educational topics into quick, skimmable summaries – so you can absorb the latest trends and research (without needing to read/listen on 3x speed).

In this edition:

  • Pam Barnhill's podcast reminds us that there's no one 'right way' to educate.

  • When switching schools isn’t enough.

  • Kids are craving creativity and hands-on learning. Are we listening? (Plus, how OpenEd is already making it happen.)

Let’s dive in.

🎨 The ‘Eclectic’ approach (aka Open Education)

Montessori... Waldorf... Acton… Deschooling, Unschooling, Worldschooling... and don't forget Classical Education!

The variety of alternative schooling methods can be intriguing – but also overwhelming. Pam Barnhill’s latest episode of the Homeschool Better Together podcast reminds us that there's no one 'right way' to educate.

Barnhill introduces a catch-all term: Eclectic. This approach combines elements from various methods to create a personalized curriculum for each child. Sound familiar? We call this "open education" – tailoring learning to fit the child (instead of the other way around).

Key Takeaways:

  • Embrace diversity in educational approaches

  • Mix and match methods to suit your child's needs

  • Remember: What works for one child may not work for another

Coming soon: We'll be doing deeper dives into these different approaches in future editions. Reply to this email if there’s a specific schooling approach you’re curious about.

🚸 When one-size-doesn't-fit-all

The recent 2024 Choose to Learn report sheds light on how parents are reimagining education nationally. It breaks down "Open-minded" parents (a whopping 48% of all K-12 parents!) into three categories:

  1. School Supplementers (64%): Enhancing their child's current school experience with additional programs and resources.

  2. School Switchers (10%): Moving from public to private or charter schools, hoping for greener educational pastures. (Sometimes, they find it's just a different shade of the same challenges.)

  3. Customizers (26%): The educational innovators, mixing and matching 'a la carte' options to create a personalized learning experience.

While we support expanded choice in all directions, we're particularly excited about the growth of "customizers." Want to blend online courses with hands-on apprenticeships? Go for it. Fancy a mix of homeschooling and part-time classroom experiences? That's on the menu too.

🇩🇰 What kids really want from education

Ever wonder what would happen if we actually asked kids what they want from their education? A Danish media company teamed up with the LEGO Foundation and surveyed over 1,000 young people in Denmark. Here's what they found:

What Kids Want MORE of:

  • 55% want to choose their own topics for assignments

  • 62% crave creative use of technology (video making, coding, etc.)

  • 56% desire learning outside the classroom

  • 51% want more hands-on, creative activities

What Kids Want LESS of:

  • Passive lectures with teachers talking at the front

  • Individual work

  • Standard online learning programs

We're glad to see research backing up what we've already known: kids learn best when they're engaged, challenged, and having fun.

Check out our kit-based programs, like the Code, Craft, and Create with Minecraft and LEGO Robotics. These programs are available through Dreamlink at a discount for those enrolled in the OpenEd program in Oregon or Utah, or can be purchased à la carte. See how we're enabling project-based learning for all grade levels.

That's all for this edition of tl;dr Tuesday!

Have thoughts on this format or anything else? Reply to this email – we always love hearing from you!

Until next time,

Charlie (the OpenEd newsletter guy)

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